The UK Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission has rejected the appeal by the Transitional Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) to lift the proscription of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organization in Britain.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry, confirmed that the UK will continue to maintain the LTTE’s proscription. Announcing the decision on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the Foreign Minister stated that the Appeals Commission, an independent court established by parliament and led by a high court judge and two retired senior diplomats, ruled against de-proscribing the LTTE.
The TGTE, which supports the creation of an independent Tamil state in north-east Sri Lanka, had appealed to the UK to lift its ban on the LTTE. Minister Sabry also noted that while the TGTE is not proscribed in the UK due to its non-violent political and ideological pursuits, the LTTE’s international network aims to leverage foreign governments’ de-proscription to potentially revive the organization.